This is indeed Sunday morning, and it is also Christmas morning. We, who are gathered here today, have taken a few brief moments from our time of celebrations with our families and friends to pause and worship God. We have come to praise God and to thank God for sending Jesus to be among us for a while.
Those who were gathered last night, heard once again the story of the birt of Jesus as found in the Gospel of Luke. But this morning, our Gospel reading was from the Gospel of John (1:1-14), and it appears to not have much to say about the Nativity Scene. However, we should be very careful about judging John’s Gospel so quickly. The first words in John’s Gospel inform us that"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 1 These words and thoughts of John have given some people trouble in understanding what John is writing about. One of the simplest ways to express what John is writing is to say that Jesus was one with God, and that God was one with Jesus since the very beginning.
We, as United Methodist, are called to believe that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are one. Some individuals would claim that this is not possible. Since Jesus prays to God and talks of God in the third person, they would claim that God and Jesus have to be two totally different individuals. However, we know that even for simple, normal, humans it is possible to be two or three different persons. If you are having difficultity with these thoughts, it might help you to imagine your pastor having a conversation with his mother, his wife, and one of his daughters … all at the same time. Yes, I do know what it is like to be a son, a husband, and a father all at the same moment in time. Could it be possible for God the Creator, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to exist at the same time? Yes! This is the answer that John is writing about. This is one of the corner stones of our Christian Faith.
John is also writing about the Light of God coming into the world. I’m not sure about you, but to be honest it has taken me a very long time to be even "comfortable" in the dark. Actually, I’m not a true fan of absolute darkness; I mean I don’t mind dim light, especially when trying to go to sleep, and even the occasional "darkness" … but I do like being able to see what is around me. But we should also consider that John might be talking about a different kind of darkness; the darkness of the soul, the desire to not be in the presence of God – the one who can see the truth within the soul of each and every individual. And so John is telling us that Jesus came into this world to share the true light with everyone who is willing to be in a true relationship with God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
That’s right, the choice is ours, and John is making it clear at the very opening of his Gospel …"But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God." 2 God gives us the power to become members of the household of God, but God also gives us the freedom to refuse this offer. If we do not want to live in the light of God’s world where everything we do, say, or feel will be visible for all to see, then we can choose to turn our back upon this offer … and head into the darkness.
Now there are some individuals who have asked, "If the offer of living in the light is given by God to the chosen, then why are we called to reach out to everyone?" I believe that the answer is simple. God continues to call each and every one of us to actively reach out to every one of our brothers and sisters. It’s not our job to judge them … rather it is our job to bring the light of God into the lives of all of those that we meet. Remember, we have been told by Isaiah that, "all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God."3
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
"The Lord is with you."
In this morning’s reading from the Gospel of Luke (1:26-38) we have once again heard the words that the Angel Gabriel spoke to Mary, “Greatings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”[1] Now wait a minute, of course Mary is the favored one; after all Mary is the mother of Jesus. And while we are at this point in our time of reflection; doesn’t it also seem very obvious that the Lord would be with the mother of Jesus … after all, Jesus is the Son of God! However, to be honest, these thoughts and feelings are in reality based upon our own personal knowledge of past events, as well as the teachings of our faith over these many years.
Is it possible for us to imagine, even for a few brief moments, what must have been the reality of these precious words spoken in their original setting? Imagine for a few moments that someone, claiming to be a messenger of God, has appeared before a young woman. This Angel then informs the soon to be married woman that she has found favor with God, and that to fulfill God’s plan, she must soon be with child. She is told that if she accepts the will of God, then she will give birth to a son. What thoughts would be going through our worldly minds now?
How can it be possible for this young engaged woman, who has not yet been with any man, to have a child? If she is ever found to be pregnant, then everyone else within her family and community will believe that she has done “something wrong” – “something immoral!”
And so, we are now beginning to see what depth of faith Mary must have truly had in these promises of God. For it was her faith that gave Mary the strength to put behind her any considerations for what her family and the rest of her community – or for that matter the entire world – would be thinking or saying. Mary answered, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”[2]
Many of us gathered together here in this time of worship have experienced the presence of God. We also know that explaining these encounters to others who have not yet experienced this presence is very often difficult, but one of our key beliefs is that with God all things are possible. Now modern day scientists have come a long way in coming to more fully understanding the physical world around us, but without faith in an Ultimate Creator they still do not have all of the answers.
And this is what it means to have faith: to trust that God will be with us. We are encouraged to trust that we will not be required to face the challenges of our physical world alone. Like Mary, if we are willing to follow the call of God, willing to be a humble servant, rather than always demanding that we alone have the power to create our own futures, then we, like Mary, can always trust that we will forever be close to God.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
“… I will make an everlasting covenant with them.”
The Prophet Isaiah is announcing the coming of a time of good news[1]; a time when there will be great rejoicing - for God will be bringing good news to the oppressed, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners, and those who mourn. They are the ones who for so long have lived in the darkness of this world. And yet the saddest of realities is to know and understand that they are still among us even today. As we prepare for the arrival of our great celebrations of Christmas, there are still among us the oppressed and the brokenhearted, those who are being held as captives and as prisoners, and those who continue to mourn.
Do not be deceived, there are individuals even within our society – right here in America – who still struggle with different forms of oppression. Maybe they don’t speak English, or maybe they can’t speak at all. Maybe they have no hearing, or maybe they are blind. Maybe they are the wrong gender or race. Maybe they are in love with the wrong gender or race. Maybe they are too old, or maybe they are too young. Maybe they are being held prisoner by an abusive spouse, parent, or child. Maybe they are being exploited by an employer or government to the point of slavery.
But there is hope, for this is the promise that has been given to us; there shall come the light of God’s salvation into the lives of all. The real question is whether we will seek to follow the true light of God, or shall we be distracted by the false lights of this world and the ones of our own imaginations.
John the Baptist was sent by God to testify to the true light of God. But those who were in power – those whose authority among mortals was derived and assigned by the worldly powers – came to question John. At first glance it might seem that they were asking John if he is the light[2].
However, those of us who remember later parts of the story of John the Baptist know that these others – the servants of the Pharisees – were there to ask questions to set a trap against John. They also were there to guard against any individual who would attempt to take away their power within the community. Their future plans would be ignored by the masses if this distraction was not stopped as soon as possible.
Has this time come again? Are there all around us such loud voices who are calling out to us … to each one of us … so that we have somehow forgotten the path to the true light of God’s hope and God’s love? Have we become so distracted and blinded by the glitter and the glamor of our secular world that we have lost sight of the very essence of the true meaning of the coming event? Have we become so overwhelmed by the messages of this secular world that we do not hear the gentle whisperings of the Holy Spirit calling us back into the arms of God?
The choice is ours to make. God has given each one of us the freedom to choose. We can follow the teaching of this world, or we can seek to follow after the true light … the light sent by God to lead us home.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
“… he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
In today’s reading from the Gospel of Mark (1:1-8), we have clearly heard that the prophet Isaiah had declared many years earlier that there would be a messenger sent ahead of the coming Lord. The task of this messenger was to warn all of us that we are to prepare ourselves for the day of the coming of the Lord. Indeed, John the Baptizer was and continues to be this messenger. John himself was a deeply faithful man of God, but he understood that the real function of his calling was to point the way to the true Son of God; to the true presence of God among us.
John had become somewhat famous as a servant of God, and most often referred to as “John the Baptist.” He preacher to anyone who would be willing to listen, that we are only the creation of God and not the true masters of all that we may see. John’s message was that we should return to a life of obedience to God, and that the laws of our faith in God are still viable in today’s world. Those who came to listen to him and then decided to dedicate their lives to obeying God were symbolically washed clean of their past sins by being baptized.
John’s fame had become so great and wide spread that many of those who came to see him began to believe that he was the Messiah that they and their ancestors had been promised. Now not many of the people alive today, who believe in the promised coming of the Lord, are willing to claim that the Lord has arrived and that they can show him to you and others. And at this point in the Gospel of Mark, John is clearly “proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”[1]
John makes clear in his teachings that all he can do for those who have come to him is to help them cleanse themselves of their past sins, and guide them back on to a path headed in the direction of becoming closer to God. In our present world we need to take care, for there are many individuals who would claim to be able to help us to find greater wealth and true happiness. However, the reality has been that these individuals have all too often have only been interested in taking control of what little wealth we may have so that they could find their own personal happiness.
John did not want to live a life of great comfort and fame. In fact, he told all who would willingly listen to him, that another was coming; One who was truly greater than John himself. In fact John told everyone that, “I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”[2] John was making it clear to everyone who would listen to him that he was not the promised Messiah – the savior of the world. That job was for someone else. That job would be assigned by the one who had promised that a Savior would be sent into this world.
Do you remember what powerful words of comfort the author of Isaiah (40:1-11) wrote in this morning’s reading? The words which stand out the strongest for me where these: “The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.”[3] It is God who has promised that all who would follow the will of God would be rewarded with eternal life in the House of the Lord. And so the choice is ours to make: will we follow the teaching of this world, or will we believe in the promises of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit?
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